Rattling, Godzilla followers are consuming properly these previous couple of weeks, aren’t they? Godzilla Minus Zero has stomped into cinemas, delivering one other glorious Godzilla story that I’d extremely suggest seeing, and now we’ve bought Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered. It’s one other instance of how we’re dwelling in an period the place seemingly random video games will be dragged again from the lifeless and given a complete new lease of life. This time it’s a brawler from the GameCube and unique Xbox days, mixing somewhat little bit of Tremendous Smash Bros. with a complete hell of numerous kaiju for an entertaining monster-sized scrap. And as we speak it’s *checks notes* the official Shrek 2 licensed sport. What? Who’s even selecting these items?
REVIEW AT A GLANCE
Developer Pipeworks Studio
Writer Atari
Reviewed On PS5
Accessible On Xbox, PC, PlayStation, Swap
Launch Date November 3, 2026
Worth (UK) £24.99
Style Preventing
Evaluation Code Offered by the writer
Fast Take:
A powerful remake of a cult-classic brawler that brings again the enjoyable monster-smashing gameplay, however provides in a questionable new unlock system. Get some mates spherical, a number of beers and a few pizza, and it’s properly price it.
Regardless of the title, that is nearer to a full-blown remake, rebuilding the sport in Unreal Engine 5 whereas making an attempt to protect the way it initially performed. That leaves me in an fascinating place as somebody who by no means performed the unique. How do you choose a sport like this as we speak? How a lot do you forgive due to its age, and the way a lot does that matter whenever you’re nonetheless making an attempt to have enjoyable with it in 2026? Let’s attempt to determine that out, we could?
Visually, the outcome nonetheless seems like an older sport that’s been spruced up. The monsters have extra element, however the cities and their destruction hardly resemble a contemporary blockbuster. It seems effective, although, and efficiency on PS5 was faultless all through my time with it. There’s in all probability a joke someplace about this being one of many best-performing Unreal Engine 5 video games I’ve performed. Pipeworks has retained unique animations and different belongings, so the familiar-looking motion is a part of a deliberate try and recreate the outdated sport.
There are twelve playable monsters, together with two variations of Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Gigan and Rodan. The roster broadly follows the expanded Xbox model, with Showa-era Mechagodzilla changing the Heisei incarnation. Journey Basic strings collectively fights by means of cities and different arenas as you cope with an alien invasion, ending in a showdown aboard the invaders’ mothership. It’s a skinny excuse for monsters punching one another, which is about as a lot story as this wants.
The controls remind me somewhat of Smash Bros., with simple assaults modified by holding a path. Impartial assaults are typically fast, whereas directional variations can contain a hefty wind-up earlier than sending an opponent flying. You possibly can seize, throw, leap and run, and spend power on beams, missiles and different monster-specific talents. One significantly amusing assault leaves damaging goo on the ground, making an enemy hop round clutching its foot. Apparently even big monsters endure the indignity of stepping in one thing disagreeable.
I anticipated extra button-mashing happening, however persistence is surprisingly necessary. Blocking issues, and committing to a gradual assault on the fallacious second offers your opponent loads of time to beat the shit out of you The cityscape performs a helpful position, too. Ducking behind buildings protects you from ranged assaults, whereas something you may elevate turns into one thing you may throw, even when the sport typically doesn’t appear to register that I wish to decide up the small constructing proper beside me. There’s an pleasing rhythm to discovering a gap after which selecting up your opponent to introduce them to the native structure.
It’s additionally unmistakably clunky. Motion and assaults have a stiffness that takes some adjustment, and throwing a monster right into a constructing may end up in a clumsy bounce moderately than the dramatic collapse you may think. Broken buildings can crumble, however you don’t constantly get that spectacle of kaiju smashing by means of every part of their path. Typically I additionally bought a gradual directional assault once I thought I’d launched the stick and requested for a fast impartial.
However these limitations additionally need to be thought-about alongside the age of the sport. The builders have tried to maintain this as a trustworthy recreation of the unique Xbox and Gamecube title, so clunkiness is anticipated. It simply means for those who’re a contemporary gamer, it takes a little bit of adjustment. Earlier than lengthy, you’ll be fortunately tail-whipping monsters within the face.
The AI’s problem settings are equally odd. Onerous didn’t really feel a lot completely different from Medium, whereas Straightforward appeared to alternate between placing up an affordable combat and barely having a functioning mind. There’s enjoyable available studying deal with the monsters, however the settings didn’t give me a very dependable sense of what problem to count on.
Past Journey Basic, there’s Survival, city-wrecking Destruction and a Observe mode. The brand new Journey Gauntlet pits you towards two monsters directly, whereas Journey Problem affords one other set of harder encounters. Regardless of the additions, it stays a reasonably slim bundle constructed round repeating the identical fundamental preventing. That wouldn’t bother me a lot if among the different modifications didn’t appear so decided to maintain you doing precisely that.
Every monster now ranges as much as ten, gaining substantial bonuses to issues like well being and power regeneration. Even Rage strikes are tied to development, which is a giant change from the unique. On my first Journey run, I reached Mechagodzilla at degree three and bought my arse handed to me. I went away to earn some ranges, then returned to search out the opponents had levelled up as properly. The ultimate combat did really feel simpler, however the preliminary problem spike left me not sure whether or not I wanted to combat higher or grind extra. I’m not satisfied including persistent stat upgrades improves a sport like this.
Unlocking the roster has additionally turn out to be extra concerned. The unique used Journey completion chains, the place ending with explicit monsters opened up others. Right here, you full Rumor aims to make Analysis Tasks accessible, then fill the chosen mission with factors earned by means of play. Necessities can embrace ending Journey a number of occasions or unlocking sufficient battlegrounds. It isn’t terribly sophisticated when you perceive it, however the sport does a poor job of explaining the connection between these necessities and your energetic analysis.
I finally labored out from the outcomes screens that analysis factors are equal to 10 p.c of your match rating, so higher performances assist. Survival affords a quicker analysis route at the price of XP, however my objection is to how a lot repetition the system encourages within the first place. I haven’t unlocked every part, and I haven’t felt a lot need to maintain repeating fights purely to fill the bars. The outdated system sounds extra interesting to me.
Fortunately, there’s a Event Mode toggle within the settings that opens the monsters and phases for native Customized Battles. It halts development and doesn’t bypass the unlocks for Journey or on-line play, nevertheless it means you will get some associates collectively and instantly decide the monsters you need. I’m very glad someone thought to incorporate it, even when the choice could possibly be marketed extra clearly.
Customized Battles and on-line assist as much as 4 gamers in free-for-all scraps, which may turn out to be a chaotically enjoyable mess. On-line matchmaking and connections have been hit-and-miss for me, although. Discover the correct individuals and there’s a superb time right here, however the preventing additionally leaves loads of room for cheesing opponents and customarily being an asshat, and matches very often descend into these antics. Sofa play is comfortably one of the simplest ways to take pleasure in it.
In Conclusion…
I’m glad we’re dwelling in an age the place outdated video games like Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee can get one other likelihood at life and discover a new viewers. It’s definitely displaying its age, even after the remaster/remake therapy. The preventing will be clumsy, and I’m not satisfied the brand new unlocking system has completed a lot past making it grindier than it wanted to be. However I’ve nonetheless had loads of enjoyable with it, even when I don’t see myself sticking round to unlock completely every part.
Beneath these tough edges is a massively entertaining brawler that’s at its finest whenever you and some associates can sit on the sofa, seize some controllers and name one another names whereas getting punched within the face by Godzilla. Mainly, it’s the right pizza and beer sport. For that cause alone, it was price resurrecting.
Now go and watch Godzilla Minus Zero.